(1) The Sender: Sender recognition is far more important than you may think. In many cases it’s the first thing your subscriber sees. Is your email address and “from name” recognizable and trustworthy to external audiences? Avoid ‘no-reply’ or other non-friendly addresses.

(2) The Subject Line: Only 50 characters stand between email success and the trash bin. Is it relevant and interesting? If not, it’s likely your email won’t make it. Try not to repeat your brand name or use internal language that may be confusing to your audience.

(3) Snippet Text: Some email programs, such as Gmail, Outlook and iPhone/iPad use snippet or preview text next to the subject line. This text usually is limited to 100 characters or less, and will be pulled from the first few lines of text in the email. Use this valuable real estate to build on the subject line, add value, or include a call to action.

(4) Image Blocking: One of the largest problems that email campaigns face is blocked images. For many clients, blocked images are automatic, leaving a less than ideal first impression. Combat image blocking by avoiding all-image emails and using alt text, captions, or creative slicing and coding to create the illusion of an image.

67% of major desktop clients block images by default

100% of major webmail clients block images by default

80% of mobile operating systems block images by default

A creative approach to solving the image blocking problem is to use background colors or creatively slice images to replicate 8-bit graphics.

(5) The Preview Pane: Some email programs will only show a portion of the email in the “preview” or “reading” pane. Make the most of this 300px by 400px by placing interesting content here to encourage the subscriber to open the email.

(6) The Inbox: In the inbox, your message has a lot to contend with. Does it look spammy next to other messages? Does it contain relevant and interesting information for the subscriber? Are ads blocking the left-hand side? Is the font too tiny?

(7) The Click-Through: The best way to get more clicks is to have a clear call-to-action in your email. Try asking yourself: What is going to make recipients want to click? Providing clear value to your subscriber will help produce more clicks.

(8) The Landing Page: The subscriber’s experience doesn’t end in the inbox. Landing pages should follow through on promises made in the email. If a product is feature in your email, then it should be easy to find on the landing page. Inconsistently, clutter and missed expectations will frustrate users and ultimately hurt your bottom line. If possible, make your landing pages mobile-friendly.